I could see Aidan was working hard to control his temper. “Now, now, Lily. You mustn’t be impudent. I know you are fond of your governess, but you must get used to life without her.”

I noticed he could not even refer to me by name. I wrested my hand from Lily’s, nodded and turned toward the door.

“No! Stay!”

Her small voice echoed behind me. I thought I was hearing things. I swung around and stared at her. She stood facing her father, her arms akimbo, like a little warrior.

“No, Daddy,” she said, ‘I won’t go to Texas unless Miss Delia comes too.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Aidan and I stared at Lily, openmouthed. Had she really spoken? Had she just uttered her first words in years? Tears welled in my eyes and I wanted to rush over and hug her. But I was rooted to the floor. Aidan jumped to his feet, his face pale. Lily did not move.

He knelt in front of her. “Lily,” he whispered, as if afraid to break the spell, “Lily, did you just speak? Did I really hear you?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she said. “I told you I won’t go to Texas unless Miss Delia comes too.”

Aidan looked from her to me, suspicion in his eyes. I guessed he thought I had hidden from him that she was speaking all along. As if reading his mind, she said, “I have never spoken in front of Miss Delia, Daddy. I have not spoken to anyone since Mommy died.”

“Then why now?” whispered Aidan.

“Because this is important, Daddy. There was nothing before that was important. It was easier to be silent. But I love Miss Delia, and you can’t leave her behind, so I had to start talking again.”

I was shocked. Not only was Lily speaking, but she sounded more like an adult than a seven-year-old girl. I always knew she was intelligent, but this—this was beyond belief.

Suddenly, Aidan had tears in his eyes. He hugged Lily tight. She buried her head in his shoulder, whimpering. Poor wee thing. It was as if the effort of talking had been too much for her. Aidan looked at me over her head.

“Will you come with us, Miss Sweeney?”

All his anger was gone, replaced by uncertainty.

“Yes.” I nodded.

* * *

As night fell, the train slowed down and heaved to a stop, and I became anxious. Where was I to sleep? Aidan had purchased Pullman tickets, which offered small sleeping compartments with pull-out beds. They were close together, but each was shrouded by a curtain for privacy.

We ate supper in the first-class dining car. Aidan and I said little to each other, and I was grateful for Lily’s constant prattling. It seemed to me she was making up for all the words she hadn’t spoken in the previous four years. When we finished eating, he rose and stretched.